Del. David Kelly

Maddy summaryHB 2999 amends West Virginia law to extend the payment deadline for fees charged by county fire prevention units from 75 days to 180 days after a fire service response. This change directly affects property owners, businesses, or individuals responsible for paying fire department charges for services like firefighting, rescue, or hazardous material cleanup. The bill requires these fees to be itemized in writing and allows fire departments to pursue legal action for unpaid fees after 90 days if no payment plan is established. The amendment specifically updates Section 7-1-3d of the West Virginia Code regarding fee collection timelines.

Maddy summaryHB 3022 would allow West Virginia's Division of Motor Vehicles to issue special license plates featuring autism awareness. Vehicle owners who apply can choose this plate design by paying a $10 one-time fee and a $15 annual fee, with both fees deposited into the State Road Fund. The bill amends existing law to authorize this specific plate type, without changing autism support services or funding. It directly affects West Virginia residents who wish to display this awareness plate on their vehicles.

Maddy summaryHB 3023 requires every West Virginia county school board to employ at least one full-time school nurse for each public school, based on kindergarten through seventh-grade enrollment (one nurse per 1,500 students or major fraction). County boards may contract with public health departments for equivalent services if approved by the state board, and the state may provide funding to support additional health services beyond the minimum requirement. The bill mandates school nurses be licensed registered professionals and establishes standards for trained school employees (like teachers or aides) to assist with specialized health procedures under nurse supervision. It also creates a council of school nurses to develop training standards and recommends a procedural manual for implementation.

Maddy summaryHB 2975 updates West Virginia's optometry licensing laws to modernize practice standards. It permits licensed optometrists to perform certain eye procedures they've been trained on through accredited programs (including those taught at 50% of accredited schools), expands their ability to prescribe specific oral medications (like antibiotics and anti-inflammatories) from a board-approved formulary, and clarifies scope of practice definitions. The bill directly affects licensed optometrists in West Virginia by updating their legal authority to examine, diagnose, and treat eye conditions. Key provisions include revising drug prescribing rules, defining "appendages" (eyelids, conjunctiva, etc.), and adding new sections to align with current optometric education standards.

Maddy summaryThis bill clarifies that certain professionals - including law enforcement officers, prosecutors, court attorneys, judges, jurors, and their support staff - are exempt from West Virginia's child pornography laws when handling such material in their official duties. It also requires other employees who encounter images of minors in sexually explicit conduct on work devices to immediately report the discovery to law enforcement or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Reporting must include device owner details if known, and compliance with this requirement serves as an affirmative defense against violations. The bill does not change criminal penalties but updates exemptions and adds a mandatory reporting obligation for non-exempt personnel.

Maddy summaryHB 2891 would require all high school students in West Virginia to complete 20 hours of community service to receive a high school diploma. The state board of education must compile a list of approved community service activities for school districts to use. Schools may also approve additional activities after review by the school, county board, or state board. This bill directly affects every high school student seeking graduation in the state.

Maddy summaryHB 2886 would allow West Virginia municipalities to exempt the fire chief position from civil service protections through a local ordinance. Currently, some fire chiefs are appointed without civil service requirements (like competitive exams), but the law did not explicitly permit this for all municipalities. The bill amends state code to clarify that cities and towns can choose to appoint fire chiefs directly - similar to how police chiefs are often selected - by passing an ordinance, rather than requiring civil service procedures. This change only affects municipalities that adopt such an ordinance, leaving existing civil service protections in place for those that do not.

Maddy summaryHB 2628 amends West Virginia law to classify attacks on police service canines (K-9 units) as felonies. The bill adds "police service canine" to the definition of "law-enforcement officer" for protection purposes and increases penalties for intentionally harming them while on duty. Specifically, malicious assaults causing injury to a K-9 would carry 3-15 years in prison, up from misdemeanor penalties for similar attacks on human officers. This directly affects K-9 units and their handlers by granting them the same legal protections as human law enforcement officers. The bill does not change existing protections for human officers but extends felony-level penalties to attacks targeting K-9s.

Maddy summaryHB 2788 allows West Virginia State Police officers to convert unused annual or sick leave into retirement credit or to help cover health insurance costs. Officers would receive two days of retirement credit for every day of accrued leave used, calculated based on 20 workdays per month of service. However, officers who joined the retirement system on or after July 1, 2015, cannot use leave to increase retirement credit (though they may still use it for health insurance). The bill applies specifically to members of the West Virginia State Police Retirement System.

Maddy summaryHB 2786 exempts the salaries of specific public safety workers from West Virginia's personal income tax. It directly affects law enforcement officers, firefighters, correctional officers, and emergency medical services personnel who meet the definitions in existing state law. The bill adds a new tax provision stating these workers' salaries are not subject to state income tax. This creates a concrete policy change by removing a tax burden on these frontline public safety professionals.